Riverfront Theater's 'Proof' is about family (and a little math)

Four Pittsburgh actors play characters that are an integral part of the search for answers behind a mysterious mathematical proof in Riverfront Theater Company’s production of David Auburn’s drama, “Proof.”

The play that won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play is the story of a troubled young woman, Catherine, played by Kaili Doud; her manipulative sister Claire (Rebekah Hukill); their brilliant father, Robert, a renowned mathematician (James Critchfield), and one of his former students and an unexpected suitor, Hal (Jamie McDonald).

“Don’t be scared away by the math!” Doud tells theatergoers.

The drama being presented for two weekends, March 19-21 and 26-28, at Aspinwall Riverfront Park, is directed by Lora Oxenreiter.

Love and commitment

‘“Proof’ is a beautifully written play with emotionally arresting moments, and some funny ones,” she said. “Anyone devoted to understanding relationships and the things that can build them up or break them down – trust, mental illness, distance – will leave the playhouse with something to consider.”

“I think people sometimes dismiss ‘Proof’ as a play about mathematics and decide it’s not for them,” she said. “At its heart, ‘Proof’ is a play about a family. It deals with mental illness and how it disrupts a family. It deals with the burden of genius. But ultimately, it’s about love and commitment.”

Catherine, who has chosen to devote herself to caring for her mentally ill father, is worried that his affliction might be inherited and as a result, she becomes isolated and alone.

“Love, family dysfunction, heredity versus free will, anger and genius all in one play – a director’s dream,” Oxenreiter said.

Critchfield is reprising the role that he portrayed in a 2018 Little Lake Theatre production of “Proof.” His biggest joy in playing Robert “is mining his great humanity, humor, and love for his daughter Catherine, while accepting the profound challenge of respectfully portraying his brilliant mind within a scrambled stream of consciousness.”

Hukill described her character, Claire, as someone who has worked hard to build herself a life that is different from what she came from. When she returns home for a weekend, “the action of the play puts her back in that mess that she desperately wants to clean up quickly and leave behind,” she said.

“I believe that she honestly means well, but there is definitely an obtuseness there. My biggest challenge in playing Claire is trying to embody the obtuse.”

McDonald defined his character, Hal, as very smart, driven, and conflicted.

“His conflict is between his desire to find publishable work from his late mentor, and his interest in his mentor’s daughter, Catherine, who shares some of her father’s best qualities,” McDonald said. “With ‘Proof,’ there are a lot of timely themes about mental illness that I think audiences might find intriguing and, sometimes, relatable. It’s a very important play that I think anybody can appreciate.”

Riverfront Theater Company’s production of “Proof” is co-produced by Jenna Hayes and Jim Froehlich. Sydney Turnwald is stage manager.